Bee's Christmas pastRemembering the other ones | Now it is Christmas again and time for reunion with the beloved. It is a moment when the laughter of children under the tree sounds like the laughter of angels. It is a moment for r...George F. Will: December battle helped give rise to American freedomBy George F. Will | WASHINGTON  Let's get this straight: The greatest Christmas in American history was not the result of the Germans being drunk or hung over. Gen. George Washington lost most of his battles ...Bleak Christmas for ZimbabweTop businesses stand to lose their investments in Zimbabwe's chaotic banking sector this Christmas after the closure of a seventh private bank for fraud and mismanagement. | Thousands of ordinary depositors hav...France outlaws sexist and anti-gay insultsThe French Parliamenet on Thursday definitively adopted legislation that could lead to year-long jail terms for anyone found guilty of insulting homosexuals or women. | The justice minister, Dominique Perben, b...Blumner: Freedom's heroes fought the good fight in 2004My last column of the year will not be apocalyptic or apoplectic. Instead, it will be devoted to the few bright spots from 2004 and the annual ''Freeby'' award winners . . . those individuals deserving of speci...Liberals and conservatives battle over baby JesusProbably no other historical figure has collected as many titles as the holy child of Bethlehem. Pacifist, holy crusader, enlightenment philosopher, Marxist revolutionary - all have been applied to Jesus. The s...For Filipino journalists, fear undermines a deadly freedomQUEZON CITY, Philippines -- In the cramped offices of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, visitors can purchase books examining the country's energetic, largely unfettered media. The titles hint...UN cites abuses in Ivory CoastABIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- A UN report on human rights abuses during Ivory Coast's civil war includes a secret annex naming 200 people who could face UN sanctions or international prosecution, a UN source said yes...Millions celebrate Christmas as appeals for Middle East peace ring outBETHLEHEM, West Bank - Hundreds of millions people around the world celebrated Saturday the birth of Jesus Christ as appeals rang out from Jesus birthplace in Bethlehem to the Vatican for peace in the Middle E...The Opinion: Letters to the editorBehold, a start | Birth of Earth: Faith and science are good providers | Editor, The Times: | Biological evolution is a fact, and not a theory ("" and "," Times guest commentaries, Dec. 16). | Darwin's theory w...Gunmen massacre 28 on Honduran busBY SERGIO DE LEON | SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras -- Honduran gangs had killed before, leaving dismembered bodies and grisly messages in defiance of President Ricardo Maduro's no-tolerance campaign against them. | B...UN condemns Chechen women abuseThe United Nations has voiced concern at reports of arbitrary detention and torture of women in Chechnya. | Yakin Erturk, UN special rapporteur on violence against women, spoke out on the issue a...28 slain in attack on busSAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras -- Honduran gangs had killed before, leaving dismembered bodies and grisly messages in defiance of President Ricardo Maduro's no-tolerance campaign against them. | But when gunmen shot ...